How to study poker

In the last few years, I have been inundated with new students. They come to me for an array of reasons, but when you boil it down they are all looking for a framework for studying poker on their own. It can be overwhelming to know what to study and how to study the game. 

I have been working on a major project with Barry where we address this head-on, but until then here is a simple cheat sheet I use to study a hand in a solver like GTO Wizard:

Look at the preflop ranges first: Before heading to the flop, assess the preflop ranges. What are the shapes of both ranges. Are they polarised, linear, capped or condensed? What sort of boards favour each player? 

Look at the equities: Post flop the first thing to look at is who has the stronger range. Who has range advantage (the stronger range overall) and who has nutted advantage (the strongest hands)? Range advantage usually determines betting frequency, nutted advantage influences bet size. 

What bet size does the solver prefer? If you have done the first two steps, this question is easier to answer. Look at the predominant bet sizing and ask yourself what is influencing it. 

How does the solver pick bluffs and value? Your value determines your bet size for the most part. It’s more interesting to get into the weeds and look at which hands it picks as bluffs. This tends to be influenced by blockers, improvability and equity. Solvers like bluffs that block value and can improve, but they also pick low-equity hands for whom taking down the pot is a big win.

How does my opponent deviate from GTO? Once you have answered all that and have a baseline GTO response, the final question is to ask how you would adjust your strategy based on the real-life tendencies of your opponent.   

The above sounds overly simplified, but studying becomes much easier if you can break it down into manageable chunks like this. 

If you need help with this aspect of your game, stay tuned. Barry and I have been working on a comprehensive video course where we go through everything I do with my private students. We explore GTO, exploitative poker and ICM in more detail than we ever have and cover things we have not touched on in our books. 

If you struggle with knowing how to study, drop me a line and let me know your study leaks. We may be covering them specifically in our upcoming course. 

Until then, good luck at the tables.

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